Its Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

[BigSkyRock]

It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

I found this on my front lawn. It obviously did not fall from the sky as there was no crater. Someone must have put it there. I want to know what it is? Here is what I know.

1. It's really heavy for its size. Weighs about 40 to 50 lbs.
2. Magnets do not stick. I used a 12 inch woofer speaker magnet.
(I finally found a magnet not attached to a speaker. It has a slight magnetism in the areas where the nubs were cut off exposing the inside)
3. Dimensions W 15in, H 10in, D 9in
4. As you can see in the photos it looks like nubs where cut off of it I guess for testing.

That's it. What do you think?

 

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[DrJoePrime]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

No .. it's a meteor-wrong. Interesting shape for sure though.

All meteorites (even the stony kind) will have enough iron for a magnet to stick at least weakly.

Do you watch "Meteorite Men" on the Discovery channel? If not ... take a look very interesting show.

Oh, I also have a posting on the meteorite forum of T-net: http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,110503.0.html

Welcome to T-net too!

HH Joe

 

[BigSkyRock]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Any Idea what it could be?

 

[trixie charger]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

looks like the type of rudimentary glass that forms on a beach after a really big bonfire.

 

[BigSkyRock]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Turns out it does have a slight magnetism in the areas where the nubs where cut off exposing the inside.

 

[TheRandyMan]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Actually, it is an often stated fact that ALL meteorites will have some level of magnet susceptibility, but that is not true. There are some that have no appreciable magnetic attractiveness. They are rare, but they are out there. That being said, I do not think this is a meteorite as it has no discernible fusion crust of any kind that I can see. No regmaglypts either.

 

[jimmy uk]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

just looks like a sand stone you find on a beach formed millions of years ago

 

[Tuberale]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Need more data.

On what date did you first notice this stone?

Did it fall or grass or other vegetable material?

Had it recently rained in your area?

If it fell on your land, it is yours to keep. No need to keep where the stone was found secret. The date the stone was first noticed is important too, since it may have been part of a larger stone which broke apart, providing information on a meteorite strew field.

40-50 pounds? That seems pretty heavy for that stone. Were there any trees nearby? Did any have branches recently broken off?

Little ferrous or ferric iron. That doesn't preclude the stone from NOT being a meteorite. Consider ALH 84001 and Howardites.

Stone does have white fractures on the outside, and there is at least one regmaglympt that I can see in a protected area. Non-ferrous meteorites are especially difficult to confirm as meteorites or non-meteoritic. Outer blackish/brownish crust very thin, also similar to a fusion crust formed on a meteorite. Most of the stone is smoothed, another feature consistent with real meteorites, which tend not to have many angular or sharp surfaces unless recently broken. Your stone may not have hit where it was found. It might have broken on impact several feet or yards away. One stone found in Oregon hit a roof, and shattered. Only 40-60% of that stone has been recovered at this time, since the impact broke the brittle stone apart.

Not all meteorites leave craters. Many which fall on sandy soils are found literally on top of the sand, with little hint of crater formation, especially in dessert or Arctic conditions.

I'd say it's worth having an expert look at it. I have no idea where you are at, so cannot suggest a lab nearby. And many self-proclaimed "experts" are not competent to judge non-ferrous meteorites.

 

[RPG]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Sorry, not a meteorite. But it is a very nice septarian concretion. The crystalized lines are a dead give away. I have one that lookes like a head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Septarian_concretions

 

[BigSkyRock]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

I worked with large scale saltwater aquariums for some time and while I've seen rocks similar, none had some of the characteristics nor the weight this has. Searching Google images for all possibilities it is only when I search meteorite that I see similar stones. Might as well test it.

I found it within the past few months in Los Angeles, CA. I don't mind cutting a piece off it to send somewhere if anyone recommends a testing facility.

Thanks for all the help. It has peaked my curiosity now. In any case, it is cool looking regardless of origin.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

I worked with large scale saltwater aquariums for some time and while I've seen rocks similar, none had some of the characteristics nor the weight this has. Searching Google images for all possibilities it is only when I search meteorite that I see similar stones. Might as well test it.

I found it within the past few months in Los Angeles, CA. I don't mind cutting a piece off it to send somewhere if anyone recommends a testing facility.

Thanks for all the help. It has peaked my curiosity now. In any case, it is cool looking regardless of origin.

"...within in the past few months ..."

Don't have a more definate date than that? Going to be hard to research recent observed falls in your area.

Nearest testing facility to you is probably Arizona State University. Do a google search for meteoritical labs to learn more.

Next step: probably don't want to "cut" anything off the stone. Using a bladed screwdriver, tap the screwdriver on one of the smaller fracture (white) zones. You will need something about 20-30 grams (about the weight of both a quarter plus 2 nickels) for testing. The last test I had done was from Ancaster, Canada, after Randy Korotev asked for a 4-Litho test of the specimen. That will give you precise measurements on the metallic content of the stone. It's pretty expensive: about $500 for results within a week. But well worth it.

Even a 4-Litho test will likely not be positive for a low-iron meteorite. You will still probably have to get a date for the stone. If ionic metal test shows the date of the stone to be over 1 billion years, you've probably got a meteorite. If under 300,000 years of age, probably not a meteorite. The ions being tested are within the stone itself, so the laboratory will have to destroy a small piece of the stone for identification.

There are other tests which can assist as well: micro-thin polished slide of the stone will allow scientists to exactly identify the component minerals of the stone, which may also give a date and positive identification of stone type.

Try to stay away from Argon-Krypton testing if possible: too much of the stone will be vaporized to obtain the results.

 

[Tuberale]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Sorry, not a meteorite. But it is a very nice septarian concretion. The crystalized lines are a dead give away. I have one that lookes like a head.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concretion#Septarian_concretions

I read the citation above. I see nothing resembling this rock in the description of Septarian concretions. Nor is there any indication that the outer surface of the stone would be a different coloration than the interior, one of the common indicators of meteorites.

"Crystalized lines" makes no sense to me. I see no crystalized anything in the photos. I would generally expect to find inclusions within many non-ferrous meteorites, which I don't notice here either. The stone does not look brecciated to me, nor sandstone.

Maybe you're seeing something I'm not?

 

[trixie charger]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Does anyone find it weird that they use Krypton gas to test Meteorites?

 

[Tuberale]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Does anyone find it weird that they use Krypton gas to test Meteorites?

Well, yeah! Shouldn't it be kryptonite, or something?

 

[BigSkyRock]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Well... The word is in from the expert...

"This is a piece of limestone--or possibly a chert nodule from limestone. It isn't a meteorite. Sorry."
Eric Twelker - Geologist
http://www.erictwelker.com

Mystery Solved. Thanks for all your input.

 

[NGE]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

Thanks for the link, I bookmarked it. What an awesome site Mr. Twelker has..............NGE

 

[Tuberale]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

I disagree with Mr. Twelker. In my experience, many "geologists" have never seen a meteorite.

"... probably a chert nodule..." seems to reference the apparent fracture and abundant terrestrial rock.

Here's what Mr. Twelker missed:

1) Wavy flow lines on exposed surfaces possibly indicating a once-molten state. Limestone becomes other rock under metamorphic conditions, like granite and marble.
2) Thin dark crust, at least part of which appears shiny. Possible fusion crust.
3) White irregular veination, which may indicate minerals flowed into stress fractures under intense heat and pressure.
4) At least one area which could (not is, but might be) a sheltered regmaglympt. Regmaglympts and fusion crust are not found on terrestrial rocks. The only similar terrestrial rocks are volcanic bombs, which would require being within 600 miles from an erupting volcano. (In 1883 Krakatuo blasted volcanic bombs 550 miles away.

These are all signs of meteorites, although they are also among the rarest of meteorites on earth.

Close-ups of stone does not appear to show metal content, and mild or negligible magnetic attraction.

Try looking up chert nodules: what ancient, and not so ancient, man made tools from. Very atypical, irregular shape for a chert nodule. Have you seen any in your area before?

BigSkyRock needs to read as much as possible about meteorites, especially Lunar and Martian meteorites, which are least likely to have metal content, especially if formed near the surface of a differeniated planet. Partially because of their rarity, they are also among the most valuable and difficult to identify meteorites.

Check out Randy Korotev's meteorite website. Look up 4-Litho test. This is a starting, not an end point. The age of the stone will need to be determined, something that costs big bucks. Dating a stone will require ionic testing.

Keep in mind that even experienced meteorite hunters have been wrong when presented with a stone dis-similar to the "typical" iron-nickel they are statistically likely to see.

 

[allen]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

its still a neat looking rock and cool conversational piece !!

 

[TheCannonballGuy]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

I have to say I agree with Mr. Twelker, the Geologist you consulted. It does appear to be a Chert-nodule ...and a rather exotically-shaped one. I used to be a rockhound, and my college minor was Geology. More importantly, in this case, I also used to be a spelunker (cave-explorer) in the sedimentary-rock geology of southeast TN, northwest GA, and northeast AL. I've seen (and handled, and still own) many Chert-nodules. Chert from those areas (and others) tends to have the same internal grey color as yours. Also, your specimen appears to shows some (white) Calcite or Silica crystalization in places.

Like I said, yours is an exotically-shaped specimen. To us rockhounds, it's a very cool find.

 

[DevilDog812]

Re: It's Huge, Has a great shape, but is it a Meteorite?

wont putting vinegar on limestone make it fizz up? why not try that